With a single class costing up to $20 these days, yoga can be quite expensive. As someone who has been practicing for years on the cheap, I have found many ways to take a yoga class without paying a cent. If you’re looking to save a little cash or try out a new style of yoga for free, try some of my free yoga secrets.
Check events listings for local churches, community centers, and parks
Free yoga classes are constantly popping up around my town. In some cities there are free yoga classes in the park a few months a year, and some churches offer a free weekly practice. Check the websites of various organizations near you to see if a free yoga class is being offered.
Check out Hulu.com
Hulu is a great resource for finding full length yoga classes (Yoga Zone ones are great), and long clips from yoga DVDs with teachers like Rodney Yee. You will have to watch a couple ads to get your free yoga class, but they aren’t too bad if you do a yoga pose while you watch them.
Contact your local fitness or health food store
Some fitness and health food establishments regularly offer free yoga courses as a way of getting customers into the store. In my town, both Whole Foods and Lululemon offer free yoga classes every week. Check the website and calendars for any stores in your area that cater to yoga enthusiasts to see if they are offering free classes.
Browse YouTube for videos
I recently learned that there are more free yoga videos on YouTube that I could ever hope to complete. YouTube has videos for every style and level of yoga, led by world famous instructors. Or you can discover a whole new yoga instructor you love via YouTube without leaving your house. If you don’t know where to begin on your YouTube yoga journey, I suggest searching for a teacher like “Tara Stiles” or yoga and whatever ailment you might be working through.
See if your town participates in Free Day of Yoga
Free Day of Yoga is a semiannual event started in my hometown of Austin, TX that has spread to other cities around the world. It’s a special day when many of the yoga studios in town offer their classes for free. This is a great day to take in a free yoga class, try out a new studio, or try out a new style of yoga. Since free classes happen all day, you could practice all day for free if you’d like to.
Look around for donation or “pay what you can” classes
Quite a few studios in my city offer classes for any donation you feel comfortable giving or paying what you can afford. While I don’t recommend not paying for a class you can afford, this is a great alternative for when you’re broke or unsure about a class. I like to leave a little something for the teacher, but of course, that is up to you.